‘There will be order once there is awareness among public’

With many commuters still unaware of the one-way traffic on Bannerghatta Road, which came into effect since Saturday, the change has not gone down too well with many office-goers and residents of the area.

On Bannerghatta Road, one-way traffic has been introduced from Sagar Hospital Junction to Guruppanapalya. On the Swagath Main Road, one-way traffic starts from East End Road to Sagar Hospital Junction. On Reddy Hospital Road, the one-way rule is from Bannerghatta Road to Reddy Hospital Junction.

Radha B.S., an employee of Vakil Square on Bannerghatta Road, who regularly commutes from Yelahanka to her office, was nonplussed when she came across the new rule on Monday morning. She termed it as a “blunder” on the part of the traffic officials and called it an “absolute waste of time” for her as she has to make a detour to reach her office.

“There are so many bottlenecks on the way. Now, I have to travel another 3 km extra. I hope the authorities revert to the old system,” she said.

Pedestrians

The new rule has affected even pedestrians. Nivedita Naidu, an employee of IT major Convergence, who commutes by bus, explained how difficult it had become to cross the road due to removal of traffic signals on Bannerghatta Road, post introduction of one-way rule. “It took me nearly half-an-hour to cross the road,” she said.

Sindhu Acharya, a student of Christ University, says that as the deviation passes through a school, children and parents add to the chaos before and after school hours.

There were several who are still not aware of the one-way rule and the traffic diversion. A car driver coming from Diary Circle on Bannerghatta Road got into an angry argument with the traffic official when he was not allowed to turn right at Sagar Hospital Junction to proceed towards Tilak Nagar. “Just to get to that side of the road, I have to go all the way,” he retorted.

However, traffic officials on Bannerghatta Road and East End Road have a different opinion. “We have done this to ease traffic congestion,” explained V. Srinivasa Murthy, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic). Another traffic policeman R. Vijay Kumar, who was stationed near Sagar Hospital Junction, said, “There will be more order on the street, once there is more awareness regarding the one-ways.”

However, the new rule has gone down well with BMTC bus drivers and conductors. “Now buses will move smoothly,” a conductor said.

Residents of the area appeared optimistic that the new rules will eventually ease traffic congestion and the road users, who are angry now, will become accustomed to the changes.